Bemidji State (9-15-4) vs. Ferris State (10-16-2)
The Beavers' run of form went from bad to worse this weekend, dropping them to No. 50 in the Pairwise Rankings and second from the bottom in the conference standings. Bemidji State fell behind 2-0 before forward Eric Martin scored his ninth goal of the season to bring the score to 2-1 midway through the first.
In the second, Bemidji State failed to take advantage of two power play opportunities before surrendering another goal to the Bulldogs to trail 3-1 after two. Ferris State made it 4-1 with 11:48 remaining and added an empty net goal en route to a 5-1 home loss for the Beavers.
Unfortunately, game two was more of the same for Bemidji State, which allowed the Bulldogs to open the scoring for the second night in a row and lead 1-0 after one. The home squad found a response via a Kasper Magnussen goal 7:39 into period two and carried a 1-1 scoreline into period three.
With 13:30 to go in the game, a beautiful passing play led to the Bulldogs taking a 2-1 lead before Blake alum Gavin Best scored a late empty netter to seal a 3-1 Ferris State win and sweep on the road. Best was a senior and key member of the 2019-20 Blake team, which finished in third place in the state tournament that season.
With three regular season series remaining on their schedule, the Beavers must start winning some games to gain momentum heading into the conference tournament. Next up is a road series against Michigan Tech (15-9-2), with puck drop at 6:07 PM on 2/7 and 4:07 PM on 2/8.
Eric Martin, Bemidji State
No. 3 Minnesota (21-6-3) vs. No 17 Wisconsin (11-14-3)
It was a border battle to remember for the Minnesota Gophers, who swept the Badgers in front of the record largest crowd in one series in Mariucci Arena history. Game one opened with a dominant first period from the Badgers, who started fast and outhustled the Gophers to a two-goal lead after one.
The Gophers came out of the locker room a different team in the second and put 16 shots on net, with Jimmy Snuggerud making it 2-1 before Brodie Ziemer tied it at 2-2 to close the period. In the third, the first line of Ziemer-Påhlsson-Snuggerud remained hot, with Erik Påhlsson scoring to break the deadlock 5:43 into the period.
The Badgers battled back and had chances to tie it, but with 2:32 remaining, the Gophers scored to seal the victory, with Jimmy Snuggerud bringing it to 4-2 before Brodie Ziemer added an empty net goal to win 5-2. All four players on that outstanding top line tallied four points in the comeback victory, with goaltender Liam Souliere also having a great night with 33 saves in net.
Game two saw the Gophers come out and play their game from the first faceoff, but both goaltenders held strong and kept the game scoreless through two. With 10:44 remaining in regulation, the deadlock was broken by Minnesota's Matthew Wood, with Connor Kurth scoring off a fortunate bounce two minutes later to extend the lead to 2-0.
The top line was dominant for the second night in a row, but this time it was Kurth-Moore-Wood, with Oliver Moore sniping one home with 5:41 left to make it 3-0 and put the game out of reach. Wisconsin ended Liam Souliere's shutout bid with 3:56 to go, but a Connor Kurth empty netter sealed the 4-1 win and series sweep. Souliere had another strong night in net, ending the weekend by saving 59 of 62 shots while improving to a 2.02 GAA and .927 SV%.
Remaining in the No. 3 spot in the Pairwise, Minnesota will have an off weekend before hitting the road to face Big Ten rivals Michigan on 2/14 and 2/15.
Matthew Wood, Minnesota
No. 18 Minnesota State (18-8-2) vs. St. Thomas (11-12-5)
The home-and-home series kicked off in Mankato Friday night, and it took the Mavericks only a quick 61 seconds to take the first lead of the weekend. That early goal from Evan Murr was the lone goal scored through the first two periods, with the shot totals at 24-23 St. Thomas through two. Jake Braccini found himself all alone in front to tie the game 7:14 into period three, but shortly thereafter, the Mavericks were awarded their first power play of the game, and Evan Murr added his second of the night to make it 2-1.
With seven minutes to go in the game, the Tommies tallied two goals in quick succession to make it 3-2, with Cooper Gay scoring the go-ahead goal for his fourteenth goal this season. St. Thomas held on to win 3-2, leading to victory No. 7 in their past 10 games.
In game two, Minnesota State lit the lamp first for the second game in a row, carrying their 1-0 lead into the second period. Midway through the second, Caige Sterzer tied the game up for the Tommies, but four minutes later, Kaden Bohlsen fired the Mavericks back in front with his seventh goal this season.
That 2-1 scoreline held until the waning minutes of regulation when, with an empty net, Mendota Heights native Chase Foley scored a wraparound goal to tie the game and force overtime. The overtime session lasted a quick 23 seconds as a perfect behind-the-net pass from Josh Groll to Rhett Pitlick resulted in a 3-2 Minnesota State win and a series split.
No. 18 Minnesota State will now battle No. 19 Augustana (16-7-3) at home, starting at 7:07 PM on Friday and 6:07 PM on Saturday. For St. Thomas, a road trip to face Bowling Green (14-9-4) is next on the schedule, with puck drop at 6:07 PM both nights.
Jake Braccini, St. Thomas
St. Cloud State (11-14-1) vs. North Dakota (13-10-2)
Facing a Fighting Hawks team that earned the sweep in their first meeting in mid-December, St. Cloud State looked to reverse course and pick up their first win after losing six straight games. The Huskies Ethan AuCoin opened the scoring 5:10 into the game, but North Dakota responded with two quick goals to lead 2-1 after one. Still ahead 2-1 late into period two, Cameron Berg tallied his second straight goal in the game to extend the lead to 3-1 heading into the third.
Ethan AuCoin added his second of the game and third goal of the season to bring it to 3-2 with plenty of time remaining, and Barrett Hall sealed the comeback by making it 3-3 with 3:52 to go. Neither team claimed the overtime winner, and the game ended in a tie, with North Dakota collecting the extra shootout point.
St. Cloud State opened the scoring for the second night in a row, with Austin Burnevik firing home a power play goal for his team-leading twenty-first point of the season. All knotted up at 1-1 to start the second, North Dakota had a dominant five-minute stretch where the Fighting Hawks tallied three goals to take a commanding 4-1 lead into the third.
With 9:12 to go, the Fighting Hawks scored their fifth unanswered goal, which made it 5-1 en route to a 6-2 victory. Heron Lake native Hobie Hedquist had a career-high 33 saves in net for North Dakota.
It was a January to forget for the Huskies, who went 0-7-1 during the month. The tough opponents keep coming as a road series against No. 5 Western Michigan (18-5-1) is up next, with puck drop at 6:00 PM on 2/7 and 5:00 PM on 2/8.
Cameron Berg, North Dakota